A Fairy's Love
by GK Mendoza
Summary: Sequel to Someday, Somewhere, Somehow. NoNo still hopes that Ein will return to Elendia, Ein makes a homecoming in a quite awful way. Now complete!
1. NoNo's Desperation

**Author's notes:** To all those who reviewed _Someday, Somewhere, Somehow_, thank you very much! I do hope that there are less flaws in this fic than the first one. But then again, I am human, and I am prone to make mistakes and show flaws, right? I do hope that the readers bear with such flaws present in this fic. Nonetheless, that doesn't stop me from writing fanfiction, which is why I present to you the sequel to the aforementioned first fic, which was made in response to a request made by Shadaez. Shadaez, I remember you asking for a second chapter to my first fic, right? Well, I decided to give you more than that, and this is it! I do hope you enjoy reading it!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Riviera: The Promised Land_.

**A FAIRY'S LOVE**_  
GK Mendoza_

**CHAPTER1: NoNo's Desperation**

_(Undine Spring, Elendia)_

"NoNo... NoNo!"

"Huh?" NoNo turned around. "Oh, it's you, LuLu..."

"NoNo, you've been staring sightlessly into the sky everyday since Ein left," LuLu irritably told NoNo. "I know it's hard for you to accept it, NoNo, but he's gone for good!"

"No! I strongly believe he'll return someday!" NoNo insisted. "He told me what Mylene told him before, that Elendia's already his hometown! That's why he decided to live here after his mission in Mireno Cemetery!"

"Then, if his decision was real, he should have stayed here after his last mission!" LuLu shot back. "I still haven't apologized to him for my behavior towards him when he was just getting to know Elendia! But it's too late..." LuLu trailed off, returning to the spring, now devoid of Meute, who was now in the sunken city of Tetyth, in the company of the other Undines.

_I can't take this anymore!_ NoNo thought. _I want to see Ein again!_ With that, she headed towards the Elder's House.

_(Asgard)_

"Can you offer us a valid reason why you want to return to Riviera, Grim Angel Ein?" Henson, the chief Magus, interrogated.

"I know it sounds ridiculous, Master Henson," Ein started, "but there are a lot of things I learned by living with the Sprites in Riviera. And despite losing my friend Ledah, and my wings in exchange for my Diviner, what I gained there outweighed everything I lost."

"And what would these gains be, Ein?" questioned Heinrich, another Magus.

"I have made friends with the Sprites of Elendia and the last Arc of Rosalina Island. I have earned the trust of the Elendians, and they made me feel at home whenever I returned there from my missions ni sealing the Accursed and stopping Hector's plan," Ein answered. "All of that would not have been possible if it wasn't for Ursula, who sealed away my memories for a short time, and sent me to Riviera. Lastly, there are still many things about Riviera that I want to learn from them."

After hearing Ein's answer, the six Magi talked amongst themselves, deciding whether or not they should let Ein return to Riviera. After a while, they faced Ein, ready to deliver their decision. Herbert stepped forward, being the one to tell the Grim Angel their decision.

"Ein, your actions proved that Hector's plan, the actuation of the Retribution, was not the solution to getting rid of the demons hounding Riviera and Asgard. For those actions, you received Ursula's blessing before she disappeared for good. Such an irrevocable merit cannot go unrecognized, Ein, which is why we have decided on granting you permission to return to Riviera."

"Really?" Ein surprisingly asked.

"Our decision is final, Ein," Helga replied, apparently smiling. "You're always welcome to return here, should you wish to do so."

"Thank you very much for your consideration, masters," Ein courteously bowed. "I must go now."

"Aren't you forgetting someone, Ein?" Ein turned around to see a black, catlike creature with wings. His Familiar. "Haven't I told you before, to take me on your next adventure?"

Ein nervously chuckled. "Yeah, I forgot. Now, let's go, Rose."

_(Elder's House, Elendia)_

"Elder, I want to ask you something," NoNo started.

"What would that be?" Graham asked. NoNo then posed her inquiry. "Elder, do you know how can I get to Asgard?"

For a second, the Elder seemed stupefied with NoNo's inquiry. Then came his answer. "From what Ein told me, you can get there through Heaven's Gate, but he didn't tell me how to get to Heaven's Gate. Why don't you try asking Fia? I'm sure she knows how to get to Heaven's Gate, since she had accompanied Ein on his mission to save Riviera."

"Thank you, Elder," was all NoNo could tell the Elder afterwards. But instead of heading to Lina and Fia's house, she headed to the Magic Guild in the Crystal Caverns. There was no way Fia or Lina would entertain her question, should those two find out why she wanted to go to Heaven's Gate. Going to the Grove of Repose to ask Serene would also be futile. Asking Cierra would yield the same result, so who will NoNo ask?

_(Magic Guild)_

Upon entering the caverns, NoNo ran into NaNa, who was about to leave the place. "I take it that you're out on another errand for Soala, right?" NoNo guessed.

"As usual," NaNa answered in a bored tone. "And the usual Bat Wings for ingredients, too." Wondering why NoNo would go to this place, she asked, "What brings you here, NoNo?"

"I came here to ask Soala a favor," came NoNo's reply, to which NaNa gave a knowing grin. "Well, I'll be going now," NaNa said, before thinking, _If that favor you're asking will involve reuniting you and Ein, I can't guarantee you that Soala can successfully do that._

"Teleport you to Heaven's Gate?" Soala surprisingly blurted out. "I don't know where Heaven's Gate is, and I'm not yet skilled enough to make a stable Magic Circle, NoNo."

"At least, try creating one!" NoNo insisted. Wondering why NoNo asked her such a favor, the Witch asked, "Why do you want to go to Heaven's Gate?"

"I-It's because... I-I... want to..." NoNo stammered while blushing, enough for Soala to notice. "You desparately want to see Ein again, right?" Soala guessed with a grin, which made NoNo's face turn red. Before NoNo could say anything in response, Soala told her, "It's alright, NoNo. I can't guarantee you a stable Magic Circle that will send you to Heaven's Gate, but I'll try nonetheless. Kindly stand back so I can begin the spell."

"O-Okay..." NoNo replied, moving backwards. Soala then began to chant the spell. Moments later, a blinding light covered the entire cavern, so bright that it startled Ritz and Claude.

"What's going on?" Ritz asked the Dryad.

Still covering his eyes, Claude answered, "If I'm not mistaken, Soala's trying to make another Magic Circle, but for what purpose?" As if on cue, the light died out, so that Claude and Ritz can go over to Soala to see what happened. But when they got there, there was no Magic Circle. And that meant one thing: Soala messed up again, something that made the Witch feel bad.

"I messed up again..." Soala gloomily muttered while sitting in a corner, her back facing the two. Claude and Ritz were about to return to their respective businesses when they noticed NoNo sprawled on the floor, apparently unconscious. But that wasn't all...

_(Gate to Riviera)_

"The Gate to Riviera," Rose mused. "It's been a while since our last time here, isn't it, Ein?"

Ein nodded. "This is where we also first met Ursula and defeated Aghart."

"And your disappearing act, too," Rose added.

"That was Ursula's doing!" Ein shot back. "She sealed my memories and sent me to Elendia. She did, however, restore my memories and Einherjar's powers when we encountered Isher at Lacrima Castle."

A sudden thought crossed Rose's mind. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Ein, but I think you weren't the only one Ursula sent to Elendia," the feline Familiar told Ein. Puzzled, the Grim Angel asked, 'What do you mean, Rose? I..." Then it hit him. "NoNo..." he blurted out.

"About time you remembered that Fairy, Ein," Rose remarked. "From what I've seen, she has taken a liking to you ever since you decided to take her along. And that time before we went to the Maze of Shadows, I could clearly remember what she told you," she continued, imitating NoNo's voice, "'I refuse to believe that... I'll never see you again...'", making Ein blush slightly. Thankfully enough, Rose didn't notice it.

"Let's get moving, Rose," Ein said, trying to shake off the blush.


	2. Ein's Homecoming and a Larger Fairy

**Author's notes: **Well, this is the second chapter to _A Fairy's Love_. Readers, I do hope that you all enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Riviera: The Promised Land._

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**CHAPTER2: Ein's Homecoming and a Larger Fairy**

_(Magic Guild, two days later)_

NoNo slowly opened her eyes. "W-Where am I?" She tried to get up, but her entire body felt sore. "Owww... my body hurts like hell," she whined through gritted teeth.

"Take it easy, NoNo," sounded a female voice to her right. Opening her eyes again, NoNo found out who it was. "Ritz?" she blurted out. "But how... what happened? Why am I still here in Elendia?"

Ritz then began her explanation. "Apparently, Soala's attempt to create a perfect Magic Circle ended up in failure... again." This revelation made NoNo sad, knowing she wouldn't be able to see Ein again. Ritz continued, "Rather, the spell she cast had an effect on your body, NoNo." Seeing the puzzled look on NoNo's face, she merely pointed to a nearby full-length mirror in response. When NoNo turned to face the mirror, she was shocked.

She was still a Fairy, since her wings were still intact. But the shocking sight her reflection showed her was that her body was no longer the size of other Fairies. She was about the size of an average Sprite! At first, she felt really disappointed that Soala's spell messed up, but the thought of her new self together with Ein somehow lessened that feeling of disappointment. One question loomed in her mind, though. _If Ein does return to Elendia, how will he react when he sees me like this? I hope he'd understand if I just explain it to him._ She tried to move again, but her body still felt sore. "I think I'll need more rest, Ritz. My whole body's aching; it's as if I tumbled down a flight of stairs," she told the Gnome, wincing in pain.

In response, Ritz understandingly nodded and told NoNo, "I'm going back to work now. Claude's around, should you need help or something." With that, she left the room.

_(Near the outskirts of Elendia)_

Ein delivered a powerful Slash attack to his current foe, a Hell Curse. He was hit earlier by a Poison Stab attack from the Undead demon, and his vision was starting to blur. Not to mention that the Undead demon seemed enraged that Ein felled its comrades--a Lich and a Geist--with little effort. "Ein, watch out!" Rose yelled from the sidelines. Ein knew what was coming: a Mortem Dance attack from the Undead. Using what was left of his strength that was continuously diminishing from the poison's effect, Ein successfully dodged all strikes from the enemy's Break Out skill and unleashed his own Over Skill in response: Disaresta. Since the last blow he dodged had him facing the enemy's back, the latter was unable to shield itself from all eight strikes of Ein's Over Skill, thus, the Hell Curse was finally defeated.

Rushing to his side, Rose asked its master, "Ein, are you alright?" The Grim Angel weakly nodded in response, but the truth was, the poison still remained in his body, constantly draining his strength. He was merely a stone's throw away from Elendia; he couldn't afford to stop and wait for someone to pick him up, just like Reiche the Sylph did when Ein 'fell from the sky and down to Elendia', thanks to Ursula's doing. Mustering all his strength, Ein continued walking. He wasn't sure how the Elendians would react when they see him again. They all may have decided to forget about him and move on, now that Riviera's demon population has greatly decreased since the fall of Seth-Rah.

But it didn't take long for Ein to stagger due to the poison in his body. Ignoring Rose's pleas for him to stop and rest, he still went on. Through his blurred vision, he could see that the entrance to Elendia was very near. _I'm almost there_, Ein thought. _Just a little more, and I'll be in Elendia again. I just don't know how they'll react once they find out that I have returned. I'm sure that I have a lot of explaining to do_, he finished with a weak chuckle, before finally passing out.

_(The next day)_

"W-Where am I?" Ein opened his eyes, wondering where he was. He tried to get up, but his wounds still hurt, causing him to groan in pain. "Man, that Hell Curse was a real pain in the neck," he painfully muttered to himself.

"Take it easy, mister," came a little girl's voice to his right. He almost jumped in surprise when he turned his head towards the source of the voice. "Molan?" Beside her was Rose.

"About time you woke up, sleepyhead," Rose said. "Good thing we were near the entrance when you passed out. The Fairy at the entrance called for help, and Kyle and Reiche brought you here. You've been unconscious until now; good thing Kyle and Mylene were able to ask Fia for some Elixirs. By the way, word about your return here has just spread like wildfire."

Just then, Mylene walked into the house, having finished doing the laundry. "Thank goodness you're awake, Ein," she gladly said.

"Thank you for taking care of me while I was out cold. And I'm sorry for taking your time because of my unexpected return in this manner," Ein replied.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Ein," Mylene told Ein. "Remember what I told you before? That Elendia's already your hometown?"

"I do remember," Ein replied.

"And one more thing," the Pixia lady continued. "Taking care of you while you were out cold is the best we can do to thank you for saving not just Elendia, but all of Riviera."

Ein's stomach suddenly growled, causing the Grim Angel to laugh nervously. "Don't worry, Ein," Mylene said, "lunch is almost ready. Kyle's helping out with the cooking, so it should be done in just a while."

"Thanks again, ma'am," Ein replied.

After having his fill, Ein--now feeling better--decided to go around the village and see the other Elendians. Just as he expected before passing out yesterday, he did have some explaining to do to the Elder, who fully understood the reason behind Ein's departure. It took a little more time for Fia, Lina, Serene, and Cierra to understand the same explanation, though; but in the end, all was well. He shared bouts of conversations with Reiche, Rebecca, and Chappi; fed Mursya another fish he caught before that last battle; and washed himself at the Undine Spring, where he had another round of conversation with LuLu, from whom he found out where Meute currently was.

"Ein, I... I never had the chance to tell you this before you left," she said, "but now, I want to tell you I'm sorry for how I acted towards you when you first came here--"

"It's alright, LuLu," Ein politely cut her off. "You've told me what you've been through in the past, which made me understand why you acted that way. I'd probably feel the same if something traumatic as that happened to me."

"No wonder why NoNo likes you that much," LuLu replied, smiling for apparently the first time in front of Ein. "You saved her back at Heaven's Gate, didn't you?" Ein nodded. "Ever since you started your mission to save Riviera, she would tell me that she was always worried about you, especially that time before your last mission. When you left Elendia, she was really depressed, and she was like that everyday, staring at the sky. I tried to convince her that you were gone for good, but it seemed that I was wrong, since I'm actually talking to you right now."

_Wonder of wonders_, Ein thought. _Ever since I met LuLu, she hasn't spoken that much before! _Snapping out of his thoughts, he asked LuLu, "Where's NoNo?"

"I don't know," she replied. "She left here three days ago, and hasn't returned yet ever since. Why don't you try searching the village?"

"Sure thing, LuLu." Ein dashed off to find NoNo. His first try: the Elder's House.

"She went here three days ago and asked me how to get to Heaven's Gate for reasons she didn't explain. I directed her to Fia, but my granddaughter told me that NoNo didn't come to her place. That's when Ladie told me what NaNa told her: she went to the Crystal Caverns."

"She asked you for directions because she wanted to see me again after I left Elendia," Ein explained. "I'd better see her now; thank you for telling me where she is, Elder." With that, Ein headed towards the Crystal Caverns.


	3. Together Again

**Author's notes: **_Wait no more; the final chapter's here!_  
**Disclaimer: **_I don't own _Riviera: The Promised Land.

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**FINAL CHAPTER: Together Again**

Upon entering the cavern, Ein noticed that Ritz wasn't at the usual spot where he usually sees her. So, he tried looking for her at the inner cavern, where she was searching for crystals with the assistance of the Amberets he caught at Nelde's Royal Tomb. Sensing that there was someone else there, the Gnome hastily turned around.

"Ein? Is that you?" Ritz surprisingly blurted out, to which Ein nodded in response. "In the flesh," he confirmed.

"It's nice to have you back, Ein," the Gnome said. "Ever since you left Elendia, life seemed dull all over the place. All the visiting Sprites were wondering where you've gone to."

"Sorry about that, Ritz," Ein nervously chuckled. "I just finished some business back in Asgard. So, I heard that NoNo went here three days ago. Is she still here?"

"She should still be in the Magic Guild as of now. Oh, and by the way, she's as big as any other Sprite around," Ritz answered.

"Huh? What do you mean, 'as big as any other Sprite around'?" Ein wondered. Even though Ritz fully knew what happened to NoNo, she simply replied, "It's best to ask Soala about that matter. She'll tell you everything."

"All right then. Thanks, Ritz." With that, Ein exited the inner cavern, and almost bumped into Soala, who was about to head to the spring to bathe. "Ein? Is that you?" the witch disbelievingly asked. In affirmation, Ein nodded with a smile. "Ritz told me to ask you what happened to NoNo," the Grim Angel said. "Can you tell me about it?"

With that, Soala narrated to Ein what happened, from NoNo asking her to try making a Magic Circle, to how her spell failed and had an effect on NoNo's body instead. After hearing the entire story, Ein made his way towards the Magic Guild, where he spotted Claude, taking a nap from reading books. Silently, he made his way to the Guild's back room, where NoNo was just waking up. Upon seeing the Fairy, Ein was dumbfounded. _Ritz wasn't joking, and Soala confirmed it! She's just as tall as Lina right now!_ Hesitantly, he slowly walked towards her, but tripped on a thick book lying on the floor, making NoNo look towards him out of surprise.

"Owww... must have hit the wound," Ein winced in pain, holding his left shoulder. Despite the treatment administered by the Pixia couple, the wound still hurt, considering it was a nasty stab wound from yesterday's battle.

"Ein?" NoNo tried to confirm, her voice still sleepy. Her vision was still somewhat a blur, having just woken up.

"Yes, it's me," Ein answered, getting up to his feet. His aggravated shoulder, however, was too much for him to take, forcing him to sit down and stay put. NoNo rubbed her eyes, wanting to make sure that she wasn't dreaming. Opening her eyes again, she saw Ein sitting by the foot of the mat she was sleeping on, holding his hurt shoulder. She still wasn't sure if what she was seeing was real, so she slowly approached Ein, wanting to touch even just his clothes. Ein noticed this, so he reached out his hand to hers. The gesture made NoNo's eyes well up with tears as she anxiously reached for his hand. Once she had his hand in hers, NoNo couldn't stop the tears from falling anymore. "I'm finally back," Ein gently said.

Unable to hold it back any longer, NoNo tightly embraced Ein, crying into his chest. "Ein, I missed you so much! I thought you'd never return!" Ein returned the embrace, trying not to further aggravate his hurt shoulder.

"I'm here now, NoNo," Ein reassured her. "And I'm staying here."

NoNo, still crying, looked at Ein again and told him, "Promise me you'll never leave Elendia again."

"Don't worry, NoNo," Ein replied. "I'll always be here for you."

Ein's last statement made the Fairy wonder. Seeing the confused expression on her tear-stained face, Ein clarified, "After hearing from LuLu, I realized one thing: no one has ever been that concerned for me as you were. I've traveled with Fia, Lina, Serene, and Cierra, and I knew at the back of my mind that they all had feelings for me. Sure, I like them, too, but as close friends, that's all. During those missions, there were times when your words of concern would echo in my head at night, reminding me that there was someone who was always worried about me. When I saw you crying before I left for the Maze of Shadows, I felt my heart almost breaking apart. It was then and there that I decided to give it my all in the final battle, so that I could see you again smiling for me."

Hearing those words made NoNo shed tears again; only this time, out of elation. "It's no wonder to me now why I love you that much, Ein," she confessed, embracing Ein again, who was now blushing from that confession out of nowhere. Nonetheless, he embraced NoNo in return. "I'm sorry I had to return to Asgard," he apologized. "I just wanted to know more about the Retribution, so as to--"

NoNo cut him off by placing her finger on his lips. "You can tell me that some other time," she said, smiling. "You came back for me, and that's what matters to me now." With that said, she leaned forward and did what she had longed to do ever since Soala's failed Magic Circle spell.

She kissed him.

For a moment, Ein--whose blush returned more intense as ever--was taken by surprise. Nonetheless, he reciprocated, now confirming that he loves her back. _So this is what love is like_, he thought. _Too bad I'm the first and last Grim Angel to experience this..._

"Yo, Ein! I knew I'd--Whoops! Am I interrupting something?" a tomboyish voice teasingly asked from the stairs that connected the Guild's front and back rooms. Taken by surprise, the blushing pair broke away, Ein turning around. "Serene?" he blurted out.

"Awww… ain't that sweet?" the Arc teased further. "Don't worry; I'll leave you two be." With that, she exited the Guild, leaving the Fairy and Grim Angel puzzled.

"I bet you'll have more problems with the other girls, now that Serene saw it all herself," NoNo said, embracing Ein again.

"I'm well aware of that, NoNo. But I believe that they'll get over it sometime. I'm back for you, and that's what matters right now," Ein replied, returning the embrace.

From the stairs where Serene was standing earlier, Rose watched as the two eventually stood up and left the Guild, probably going towards the spring or the Grove of Repose. _Who'd imagine it would all end up like this? _she thought. _Whether it's fate or the will of the gods, it's not for me to know. Oh well, at least it's a dream come true for the Fairy…_ she trailed off before following them.

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**END**

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_**Author's notes:**__ Thank you for reading! Please rate and review. Constructive criticism will be very much appreciated. No flames, please!_


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